PARIS: An organisation that funds programmes to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria raised at least $13.92 billion for the next three years at an international conference, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday.

Macron, who hosted the Global Fund’s “replenishment conference” in the French city of Lyon, vowed to keep working to reach the organization’s goal of $14bn in confirmed pledges.

The last Global Fund conference brought in $12.2bn in 2016. To give a boost toward this year’s target, France increased its pledge to $1.42bn, $60 million more than previously announced, Macron said.

The US Congress approved a commitment to give of $4.68 billion over three years. The United States and France are the Global Fund’s biggest public donors.

The donations from governments, philanthropic donors and the private sector will finance health programmes in more than 100 countries, the fund said. Major recipients of the fund are Nigeria, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2019